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Is Dalbergia palescrito likely as bad as cocobolo or pau ferra for allergic reaction?

Not for me, but I am not sure there is a general answer.

As far as I am concerned, walnut is the worst followed by cocobolo.

Wow, walnut is news to me. I will need to get rid of mine. I develop severe allergies very easily.

Check https://www.wood-database.com/
Everything you need to know about wood allergies. I wish I would have found it before I severely poisoned myself with makore sawdust.

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Brad Hall
Mystic Dawg Guitars

Marokie? It doesn't seem to be listed, and doesn't come up on a general internet search either. Are there any other names for it?

Wood-database doesn't have paloescrito either. I've never heard of it being particularly potent, but being a rosewood it most likely does have sensitization potential. Certainly wear a dust mask and wash your forearms after working with it, but probably don't need to treat it like the plague like cocobolo.


Would you mind describing your experience with walnut? I haven't heard of it being particularly potent either. Any particularly extreme exposures? Does it only bother your skin, lungs, or both? I've worked with it a lot and never had an allergic reaction, although the dust does smell bad to me even in low concentration (harsh, dry sort of smell) so I always wear a mask. I like the smell of the wood itself, though.

Sorry, spellcheck changed it. Makore is listed on the chart. I got such a severe cough that I had to sleep, when I could, sitting up. It was non stop, baffled my doctor, lasted a couple of months, and brused my lower abdomen so bad it turned black. Beautiful wood none the less. I’ll never use it again.

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Brad Hall
Mystic Dawg Guitars

Wood sensitivites seem to be an individual thing. Like most people I react to Cocobolo. Pau Ferro, which bothers many people, I am not sensitive to and rather like the spicy smell from cutting it. Walnut has not been a problem. Palo Escrito, being a rosewood, will probably be a sensitizer for some people.
I still work with problem woods, but will wear protective clothing, dust masks, and eye protection when creating dust from them, and showering and changing clothes immediately afterward. I am not terribly sensitive to sawdusts (at this point in time) as some people are. I knew someone who had a basement workshop but had to quit using it because his wife was extremely sensitive to the sawdust of the woods he used, and even fastidious housekeeping didn't help.
No wood dust is good for you, so limiting contact with it is good to do (but easier said than done!). Planing and scraping rather than sanding can eliminate some dust. Wearing a dust mask and coveralls or a long sleeved lab coat with buttoned sleeves and working outside when sanding can help.
The bad thing about sensitizers is that once you are sensitive, repeated contact increases your sensitivity to the material.

For me walnut dust results in a full blown allergic reaction. First respiratory followed by a rash.
Apparently it is related to poison oak and can provoke similar responses in people.

That's not surprising. Black walnut is known to kill many types of plantings and vegetables nearby. Also, sawdust from black walnut can't be used for compost. Kills tomatoes, etc.

I agree that walnut is unpleasant, but have had no trouble at all with Palo Escrito, and have built a few with it.

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

I'm finishing up a walnut violin and.haven't had any problems with it. It doesn't even have much smell. The Alaska.Yellow Cedar top does, but it's kinda nice. Cocobolo smells nice too. Port Orford cedar smells nice too, but it can make your nose run.
I guess I'm lucky.

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Why be normal?

I get nose bleeds with walnut dust - doesn't have to be much at all for that to happen. It is just incredibly irritating to my nasal passage. Ebony is also really unpleasant for me as well. I haven't had any respiratory issues with any tonewoods yet. Oddly enough, Cocobolo doesn't seem to bother me at all.

Nevertheless, I am quite careful with dust. I've got a 2hp Oneida cyclone that I roll around to each machine and I try to wear a dust mask if I'm doing sanding tasks. Even if you don't have issues, this stuff is bad for you -- so try to get a good dust collector for your shop and keep it clean and wear a mask when you sand.

I’ve not had too much of an issue with cocobolo so far in 4 builds with it but at the moment I’m building a uke and I noticed that when I leave the shop my tongue is tingling like I licked a 9-volt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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"like I licked a 9-volt. "
Soo, another pass time is it??

It's a flash back to when I was 9.

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